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Defence institute celebrates 10 years

Jul 13, 2011Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen pulling the trigger at a demonstration of technology that can stop a projectile from penetrating a watermelon. -- ST PHOTO: TED CHEN

SOFT armour that hardens on impact with bullets may be able to raise the odds of survival of troops.

The white rubbery material, made from polyvinyl acetate, was showcased at the Temasek Defence Systems Institute (TDSI) and is one of the potential projects that can be used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

The institute, a joint collaboration between the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the United States Naval Postgraduate School, celebrated its 10th anniversary yesterday with a ceremony and exhibition at the NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni House. The event was attended by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

Since it was set up in 2001, more than 1,000 people from the SAF, US military and defence-related agencies like the Defence Science Technology Agency and ST Engineering have graduated from TDSI with master's degrees.

About a third of the 24 projects completed by students at TDSI have been operationalised in the Singapore Armed Forces.

It starts its runs to and from Mumbai the following month, and will add Chennai and Bangalore by early next year.

At a Singapore press conference on Tuesday, IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh said he is confident it will expand, rather than cannibalise, the market.

The Singapore-Delhi sector, covered in a 5 1/2-hour flight, is now served by India's full-service carriers Air India and Jet Airways, and Singapore Airlines; Singapore-Mumbai is served by five airlines, including Australia's Qantas and India's Kingfisher Airlines.

With strong ties between the two countries and a growing expatriate population on both sides, potential exists for growth in the Singapore-India air travel market, Mr Ghosh said, adding: 'I really, truly believe that the market will expand, so I'm not sure that we're looking at eating market share from anyone.'

Commerative coins to mark Singapore's 46 years of independence

SINGAPORE : The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has launched a new set of commemorative coins to mark Singapore's 46 years of independence.

The coin design draws inspiration from the 2011 National Day Parade (NDP) theme "Majulah! The Singapore Spirit", MAS said in a statement.

The limited mintage, which comprises a S$5 silver proof coin and a S$2 cupro-nickel proof-like coin, will be issued on July 27.

The S$5 coin comes in a unique octagonal shape, the first of its kind in Singapore. The obverse of the coin bears the Singapore Arms with the year 2011.

It is 40.7 millimetres in diameter and is made up of 31.1 grammes of 999 fine silver. Only 5,000 pieces will be minted.

The S$2 coin has a 38.7-millimetre diameter and 6,000 pieces will be issued.

The coins are also available in a premium set and they form part of the mintage for the individual coins, said MAS.

The official NDP 2011 logo is at the upper centre of the coin, while a mosaic formation of Singapore's coastline by performers holding coloured cards on the floating platform occupies the bottom half of the coin.

"The Singapore Spirit" tagline for the 2011 NDP theme runs across the mosaic formation, while the diversity of people is depicted through human silhouettes at the centre of the coin.

The newly opened Helix Bridge and the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre are also incorporated in the design to portray the surroundings of the NDP venue.

Crocodile's $1m deal for young Singaporean paddlers

A NEW youth table tennis tournament will soon be an annual fixture in the local sports calendar after the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) inked a $1 million cash sponsorship deal with Crocodile International on Wednesday.

The 10-year deal - the largest sponsorship for the STTA - will ensure that the Crocodile Challenge Cup for primary schools paddlers takes place till 2020.

The inaugural edition will be held from Nov 10-13.

It will feature six events - boys' and girls' Under-8, Under-10 and Under-12 singles - boasting a prize purse of $18,000. Most of the prize money will go to the players' schools and used to further develop the sport there.

Each school is allowed to send two players per event and they must be Singaporeans.

Sota in visual arts venture with Louis Vuitton

The School of the Arts (Sota) is partnering a French luxury label to develop a visual arts programme for its students. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

THE School of the Arts (Sota) is partnering a French luxury label to develop a visual arts programme for its students.

Louis Vuitton (LV) will fund the initiative, expected to benefit at least 60 of Sota's visual arts students over three years. It is putting in a six-figure sum but declined to say exactly how much.

The programme, starting next year, will see local and international artists from a wide network of designers holding seminars and workshops which could be open to all students and the public. In addition, about 20 visual arts students each year will get to work more closely with an invited artist and attend relevant design festivals overseas. Their work may also be exhibited at Sota's art gallery and a space set aside for them in LV's upcoming store in Marina Bay Sands.

Mr Jean-Baptiste Debains, the president of LV Asia Pacific, said Sota will be given free rein to decide who to invite and the details of the programme.

Sota is a pre-tertiary specialised arts school offering a six-year course for students between the ages of 13 and 18. This is LV's first such partnership with a school in the region.

Mr Debains said that in South-east Asia, Singapore is becoming more important to LV's business, adding that the company felt it would be 'more relevant to contribute to the community through such a programme'.

Students to dress up city with art works

By Mustafa Shafawi | Posted: 13 July 2011 1517 hrs

SINGAPORE: Nine plots of land in the city area have been set aside for local tertiary students to express their creativity in line with the 2011 NDP theme "Majulah! The Singapore Spirit". The art works will be installed by the students this weekend.

The "City Colours: Paint the Town Red and White" project is organised by the Information, Communication and the Arts Ministry (MICA) for the second year running.

This year, a total of nine schools are taking part.

Three schools - ITE College East, ITE College West and the School of The Arts - are taking part for the first time.

The City Colours installations will be on display till August 31.

All nine installations will also be on Facebook from July 19.

A panel of judges will select the top three prizes, including the "Most Engaging Online" display.

In conjunction with City Colours, MICA said it will also be engaging secondary school students through a separate project.

They will dress up parts of East Coast Park under the mentorship of Republic Polytechnic.

When the coating is scratched, the micro-capsules break and release the chemicals.

The chemicals react with water or moisture to form a plastic-like sealant over the scratch, preventing corrosion.

The anti-rust coat project is the result of six months of work.

It was developed by a team led by Assistant Professor Yang Jinglei, from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NTU.

Assistant Professor Yang said corrosion losses can amount up to five per cent of a country's Gross Domestic Product.

Currently, traditional methods of protection against corrosion includes organic coating, where a protective layer is added.

But once the layer is scratched, the bare metal is exposed and eventually corrodes.

Removing the rust is a time-consuming, labour intensive process.

He said the self-healing coat is cost-effective because chemicals are already embedded, targeting exposed areas almost immediately.And unlike other self-healing systems, this does not require a synthetic catalyst, which itself is expensive to produce.

The self-healing coat has also been tested under harsh environmental conditions including humidity and sea-water.

He added that the self-healing anti-rust system can be used on a wide range of applications.

While the project is still at an early stage, Assistant Professor Yang hopes the anti-rust coat will be especially beneficial to the shipping industry, which experiences high costs from corrosion damage.

The team is confident the anti-rust coat will eventually be available for day-to-day applications.

Orchid Olympics expected to draw thousands to Singapore

SINGAPORE: The 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore this November is expected to attract some 300,000 visitors.

It will be the second time Singapore is playing host to the international event, also known as the "Orchid Olympics".

It will be held at the Marine Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 13-20 November.

New hybrid orchid 'Renanthera 20th WOC Singapore' will be on show at the conference. It was chosen for its hardiness and free-flowering nature.

The conference is set to be Singapore's largest-ever orchid show, with about 50,000 orchids from more than 20 countries competing for the attention of an international panel of judges.

Organisers - National Parks Board and Orchid Society of Southeast Asia - say the show will be a boost for the orchid industry in Singapore as well as the region.

Dr Tan Wee Kiat, chairman of the conference organising committee, said: "Being the host, we can just bring the orchids from our gardens and nurseries. Even for our neighbours, the distance they have to transport these very delicate plants is not that far. And that's a distinct advantage to showcase our orchids to the rest of the world in the best condition possible."

Winning design for Indian Heritage Centre unveiled

SINGAPORE: The look of the upcoming Indian Heritage Centre in Little India has been unveiled.

Clinching the architectural design competition was Robert Greg Shand Architects, in collaboration with URBNarc.

The winning design is said to translate the centre's stated vision into an iconic, unique and sustainable building that blends both traditional Indian, as well as modern architectural elements.

The building, at Campbell Lane, is inspired by the "Baoli" or Indian stepped well.

The multi-faceted nature of Indian culture is also captured in the use of a translucent shimmering façade to create an impression of the centre as a "shining jewel" in the day and a "glowing lantern" at night.

The S$12 million building is targeted for completion by December 2013.

A Malaysia, Singapore super football league?

by Ian De Cotta
04:45 AM Jul 14, 2011

SINGAPORE - A day after the announcement of Singapore's return to the Malaysia Cup next year, this newspaper has learnt that the sport's authorities on both sides of the Causeway are working towards a far more ambitious project: Forming a super league by merging their respective domestic leagues.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source familiar with the negotiations told Today: "The FAS and FAM are convinced that, with a total population of almost 40 million and the traditional rivalry between our teams and fans, the interest levels can be tapped to drive football even higher."

On Tuesday, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) and Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) inked a four-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) that, among other things, will see each country field a team in its counterpart's domestic league and cup competitions.

The source added that both sides are "exploring the possibility" of launching the super league before the MOU expires in 2015.

Issues such as the number of teams from each country, the possibility of relegation and finances will have to be addressed.

Tampines Rovers, one of the more successful clubs in the S-League, will join the super league if it comes into fruition, said its club chairman Teo Hock Seng.

Mr Teo wondered if a regional league was possible: "An ASEAN League has been suggested for the later part of this decade, and a multilateral agreement that will include countries like Laos and Cambodia, instead of a bilateral one, will serve football a lot more."

Gombak United chairman John Yap said a super league could even challenge the popularity of the English Premier League, which draws many fans in the region away from their domestic leagues.

Said Mr Yap: "If managed well and with proper governance, the combined league has a fairly good chance of becoming the best in Asia. Football fans in Singapore and Malaysia are one of the craziest in the world, and their support of such a league will lure sponsors, which is one of our major problems now."

Courts chief executive Terry O'Connor, whose company sponsors the Courts Young Lions in the S-League, hailed the possibility of a super league.

"This is a great idea that will galvanise fans to support football in both countries. The potential to attract more commercial interest in football is tremendous," he said.

The S-League, which currently features 12 teams, has created nearly 1,000 jobs and boasts an average annual turnover of around S$200 million. The spin-off from television rights for a super league will add to teams' coffers, Mr Yap noted.

Apart from stadiums with bigger capacity, some logistical adjustments have to be made, said Geylang chairman Patrick Ang.

Mr Ang pointed out that some S-League clubs will have to consolidate their resources to compete in a super league.

"Malaysian clubs are accustomed to travelling cross-country for their matches ... Big clubs like SAFFC and Home United (in the S-League) may have the means but those like mine will have to consider merger with other teams," Mr Ang said.

Pre-World Championships Water Polo Games 2011

With so many great water polo nations converging in Singapore for training en route to the upcoming 14th Fina World Aquatics Championship in Shanghai from July 16-31, I thought I should not miss this rare opportunity to watch them in action at the Toa Payoh Swimming Complex in what was dubbed as the "Pre-World Champs Water Polo Games 2011".

So armed with my camera, last evening I hurried to the venue to watch the first match between Spain and Serbia scheduled at 5 pm.

To my disappointment, it was only a training session between them but I remained behind to watch Coatia defeating Germany 8-5 and later, water polo kingpins, Hungary demolishing Australia 15-8.

I'm sure the experience would have benefitted many of our young Singaporean teams. Surprising Singapore has never been defeated in the ASEAN Games in water-polo, I think.

The FINA Water Polo World League began in 2002 to capitalize on increased worldwide popularity of water polo created by recent Olympic Games, especially in Europe, North America and Australia. Competition between the world’s best male players began on national teams in a season format with a prize of half a million dollars at the league championship. FINA added a Women’s League in 2004 based on growing interest in the sport since introduction of women's water polo to the Olympic Games in 2000.

Championship Tournament
The World League Tournament begins in July each year with a preliminary two round tournament for each group held in various cities. The three top teams from each Group then advance to two semifinal tournaments (A vs. B and C vs. D), and then the first three teams qualified in each semifinal will move on to the Super Finals in August. The host country team for the semifinals and Super Finals automatically qualifies. Prize money totaling $100,000 is awarded with the team finishing first at the Super Finals. Second place receives $70,000, with third place getting $50,000.

Pre-World Championships Water Polo Games 2011

Hungary showed why they are generally considered the strongest water polo nation with a convincingly victory over Australia 15-8.

Australia held Hungary to a 3-all score after the first quarter but from the second quarter onwards, Hungary up their pace to pull ahead 12-7 in the third quarter and finally 15-8 in the end when Australia squandered a number of goal-scoring chances.